Studies of the Functional Properties of the Cortex and Pulp of Ripe and Unripe Berries of Solanum Aethiopicum Variety Striped Toga

Abstract

The African eggplant Solanum aethiopicum var. striped toga is a widely consumed vegetable-fruit in Côte d'Ivoire. Although produced in abundance in the rainy season, they are subject to post-harvest losses and these commodities are expensive in the dry season. Also during culinary preparations, the cortex is often removed for various reasons (difficulty to be crushed, aesthetics, presence in the stool...). This study was carried out by determining the functional properties of powders obtained from the cortex and pulp of blackberry and non blackberry berries. The apparent density was between 0.25 and 0.35g/mL with higher values in the cortex than in the pulp. The cortex powders had higher water absorption capacities than the pulp in both ripening levels (Cortex unripe (Cnm): 657.51% versus Pulp unripe (Pnm): 622.12% and Cortex ripe (Cm): 600.33% versus Pm: 486.26%). The oil absorption capacity of pulp was lower than that of cortex in unrefined and refined oil. After analysis, it appears that the powders obtained from the cortex have the same physico-chemical properties as those obtained from the pulp but at different proportions. Indeed, at the biochemical level, the eggplant (S. aethiopicum striped toga) cortexes contain the same compounds as the pulp but in small quantities.